In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is in the game. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of Sports &ndash most notably Cricket and Baseball during In Baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the Pitcher's mound toward the Catcher to begin each play with the goal of In Baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing Pitcher and trying to produce offense for one's team In Baseball, baserunning is the act of running around the bases performed by members of the team at bat Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two outs counts as two-thirds of an inning. Sometimes, the statistic is written 34. 1, 72. 2, or 91. 0, for example, to represent 34 and ⅓ innings, 72 and ⅔ innings, and 91 innings exactly, respectively.
Runners left on base by a pitcher are not counted in determining innings pitched. It is possible for a pitcher to enter a game, give up several hits and possibly even several runs, and be removed before achieving any outs, thereby recording a total of zero innings pitched.
Decline
The only active players in the top 50 at the end of the 2006 season were Roger Clemens (ranked 15th with 4,817⅔ IP), Greg Maddux (ranked 22nd with 4,616⅓) and Tom Glavine (ranked 37th with 4,149⅔). 2006 Major League Baseball season|2006 Nippon Professional Baseball season Headline Event of the Year The 2006 World Baseball Classic is a surprise success William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962 in Dayton, Ohio) is an American Right-handed Pitcher in Major Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966 in San Angelo Texas) is a Pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thomas Michael Glavine (born March 25, 1966 in Concord Massachusetts) is an American Left-handed Starting pitcher This is because over time, innings pitched has declined. Several factors are responsible for this decline:
- From 1876–1892, pitchers threw from fifty feet and exerted less stress on their arms (also pitchers often threw underhand in this era). In this era, innings pitched totals of 600 innings were not uncommon.
- In 1892, pitchers moved back to sixty feet. However, they still often threw 400 innings in a season. This was because the home run was far less common and pitchers often conserved arm strength throughout the game.
- From 1920 to the 1980s, the four-man pitching rotation was well established. Pitchers could no longer throw 400 innings in a season, as the home run meant a run could be scored at any time. The league leader in innings pitched often threw somewhat more than 300 innings. Occasionally, innings pitched would spike, as in the early 1970s, when Wilbur Wood pitched 376⅔ innings in 1972 and then 359⅓ innings in 1973. Wilbur Forrester Wood Jr (born October 22, 1941 in Cambridge Massachusetts) is a former Knuckleball Pitcher in Major League Labor strife and more moving 1972 was tainted by a players' strike over pension and salary arbitration Champions Major League Baseball World Series: Oakland Athletics over New York Mets (4-3 Reggie Jackson,
- From the 1980s to the present, the four-man rotation was replaced with the five-man rotation, with a weak fifth man who would often be skipped on off days. Also, managers starting using their bullpens more and more, accelerating the decline in innings pitched. In Baseball, the bullpen (or simply the pen) is the area where relief Pitchers warm-up before entering a game Today, rarely more than a few pitchers pitches more than 250 innings.
All-time leaders
| Rank | Player | Innings pitched |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cy Young | 7,354⅔ |
| 2 | Pud Galvin | 6,003⅓ |
| 3 | Walter Johnson | 5,914⅔ |
| 4 | Phil Niekro | 5,404⅓ |
| 5 | Nolan Ryan | 5,386 |
| 6 | Gaylord Perry | 5,350⅓ |
| 7 | Don Sutton | 5,282⅓ |
| 8 | Warren Spahn * | 5,243⅔ |
| 9 | Steve Carlton * | 5,217⅓ |
| 10 | Grover Cleveland Alexander | 5,190 |
| 11 | Kid Nichols | 5,056⅓ |
| 12 | Tim Keefe | 5,047⅔ |
| 13 | Bert Blyleven | 4,970 |
| 14 | Bobby Mathews | 4,956⅓ |
| 15 | Roger Clemens | 4,916⅔ |
| 16 | Greg Maddux | 4,832⅓ |
| 17 | Mickey Welch | 4,802 |
| 18 | Tom Seaver | 4,782⅔ |
| 19 | Christy Mathewson | 4,780⅔ |
| 20 | Tommy John * | 4,710⅓ |
| * Pitched left-handed Active players in bold Through 4/17/08 |
||
External links
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29 1867 – November 4 1955 was an American Baseball player who pitched for five different major league James Francis "Pud" Galvin ( December 25, 1856 &ndash March 7, 1902) an American professional Baseball Walter Perry Johnson ( November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946) nicknamed "The Big Train" was an American right-handed Philip Henry Niekro (born April 1, in Blaine Ohio) is a former Pitcher in Major League Baseball and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr (born January 31, 1947 in Refugio, Texas) is a retired American Right-handed Pitcher in Gaylord Jackson Perry (born September 15 1938 in Williamston North Carolina) is a former right-handed Pitcher in Major League Baseball Donald Howard Sutton (born April 2, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball player and current Television Sportscaster. Warren Edward Spahn ( April 23, 1921 &ndash November 24, 2003) was an American left-handed Pitcher in Major League Steven Norman Carlton (born December 22, 1944 in Miami Florida) is a former left-handed Pitcher in Major League Baseball, from to Grover Cleveland "Old Pete" Alexander ( February 26, 1887 - November 4, 1950) was a Major League Baseball Pitcher Charles Augustus Nichols ( September 14, 1869 - April 11, 1953) better known as Kid Nichols, was a Major League Baseball Timothy John "Tim" Keefe ( January 1 1857 &ndash April 23 1933) was an American pitcher in Major League Rik Aalbert "Bert" Blyleven (born April 6, 1951 in Zeist, Netherlands) is a former Major League Baseball Pitcher Robert T Mathews ( November 21, 1851 – April 17, 1898) was a Right-handed professional Baseball Pitcher for William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962 in Dayton, Ohio) is an American Right-handed Pitcher in Major Gregory Alan Maddux (born April 14, 1966 in San Angelo Texas) is a Pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Michael Francis Welch Born as Michael Francis Walsh ( July 4, 1859 - July 30, 1941) was a 19th century Major League Baseball George Thomas Seaver (born November 17, 1944) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball Pitcher who broke into the major leagues in and Christopher "Christy" Mathewson ( August 12 1880 &ndash October 7 1925) nicknamed "Big Six" "The Christian Gentleman" Thomas Edward John Jr (born May 22 1943 in Terre Haute Indiana) is a former left-handed Pitcher in Major League Baseball whose 288Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic